| abstract |
A method and clinical system for providing immediate analytical results for biological sera of interest, such as blood-gas analysis, at the point-of-care of a patient combines a single use disposable cartridge (80) adapted to interface with an associated portable electroanalytical instrument (20) used in making electrochemical determinations. The cartridge (80) further includes a sample chamber (112) with inlet port means for receiving a sample of the serum of interest, an array of electrochemical sensors (100, 102, 104, 106 and 108) and in situ calibration media, a plurality of electrical interface terminals (96), the cartridge sensors (100, 102, 104, 106 and 108) being capable of rapid, essentially ambient temperature independent, self-calibration and sample analysis. The portable instrument (20) has a receptacle (30) for receiving the disposable cartridge (80), an electrical interface having conductors (132) to connect to the electrical interface terminals (96) of the cartridge (80) and exchange electrical and electronic signals between the cartridge (80) and the instrument (20). Determinations are based on signal processing of electrical inputs from the electrochemical sensors (100, 102, 104, 106 and 108) on the disposable cartridge (80). Human readable output indicative of the analytical results of the sample determination is provided. |